Full Print Edition

Observe Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend is quickly approaching. For many residents, this weekend symbolizes the beginning of the summer. There will be a day off from work or school. There will be cookouts and celebrations. There will be a respite from our harried schedules of work and life with our children.

However, Memorial Day has a deeper and more solemn significance.

This is the day that was set aside in 1868 to remember those who died in the Civil War. Those four long years of conflict had touched virtually every family in the United States, North and South, with an enormous toll of dead and wounded.

And as reason dictated among world leaders that the only way to solve a disagreement was to have another war, Memorial Day was joined for observances to honor the brave Americans who made the supreme sacrifice in all of our subsequent wars: The Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

In the past few years, there has an effort by lawmakers in Washington to have Memorial Day return to its true meaning.

At 3 p.m., on Monday, a moment of silence is to be observed for those who have died to maintain our freedoms.

We ask our readers to observe this designated moment of silence and tell their children about the experiences of family members who fought in our wars and gave their lives so that today they can enjoy the freedom that al too often we take for granted.

For too long, we in the United States were immune to the horrors of war and the inequality that exists among populations in the world. For many, September 11, 2001, brought these problems of the world to our shores. For us in Boston, the Marathon bombings of last year brought these problems to our doorsteps.

On page 12 of today’s newspaper is a list of Memorial Day activites, Please try to attend.